14 TUESDAY 30 OCTOBER 2007 THE INDEPENDENT THE INDEPENDENT TUESDAY 30 OCTOBER 2007 15 s t

r Desert A storm TV, Satellite & Radio listings Dubai is the brashest, most OTT city 16-19 in the world, and now it has a pop festival Last Night’s to match. Simon Hardeman mingled TV 22 with the Gucci-wearing crowd for two Reviews 20-21 days of bling – and a bit of music, too

ubai is bling apparent string or horn compo- Marley had ignored local organ- fatback guitar particularly hot. city: it has the nent. The harpist was a partic- isers’ requests not to sing The penultimate “Tell Me About world’s tallest ularly forlorn figure, only occa- “Shalom” in a set whose high It” was a tour de force, where entertainment listings building (the sionally called upon to pluck a points were jolly readings of his each band member took stun- DUCHESS THEATRE 0870 890 1103 NOVELLO 0870 950 0921 PLAYHOUSE THEATRE Burj Dubai), few chords, but perched high and father’s hits, and Madness had ning solos. By the time Stone fin- Theatre th TRAFALGAR STUDIOS 0870 060 6632 the largest looking impossibly alluring: she put in a tired but expat-pleasing ished with a breathlessly soulful To advertise in 19 Amazing Year To advertise in DESPERATELY 0870 060 6631/0844 847 1545 BUDDY ## ## PATRICK KIELTY shopping mall, was so Dubai. greatest-hits set. Both were “Leave Me Alone”, no one was ADELPHI 0870 895 5598 Theatre Listings SEEKING SUSAN FOOTLOOSE and the most ludicrously OTT Musical bling aside, West was entertaining, but as much in the happy to acquiesce. It was just a The Buddy Holly Story A NIGHT IN NOVEMBER D “A DREAM TICKET” The Sun Theatre Listings please call A New Musical with the songs of Mon-Sat 7.45 Fri 5.30 & 8.30 Sat 3 shoreline developments (includ- tremendous. In a black suit that shadow of past glories as of the shame that it took her so long in please call “Still Buddy Brilliant” The Sun The hit comedy by Marie Jones ’s new production of Mon-Sat 7.30pm, Wed & Sat 3pm LAST CHANCE - ENDS DEC 1 ing three palm-shaped arrange- flashed red lining as he pumped surrounding cluster of vertigi- the set to free herself and, espe- BLONDIE “A seriously funny show” Sunday Times www.buddywestend.com 020 7005 2262 ments of islands and another in and punched and flailed, his huge nous concrete, and neither cially, her wonderful band. JOSEPH 020 7005 2262 Mon-Thur 8, Fri 5 & 8.30, Sat 3 & 8 Mon-Sat 7.30, Wed & Sat 2.30 AND THE AMAZING PRINCE EDWARD 0870 850 9191 the shape of the world itself). gold teddy-bear pendant the seemed to belong here anyway: Aside from showing off their TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT DUKE OF YORK’S 0870 060 6623 www.seeking-susan.com LIMITED SEASON UNTIL 1 DECEMBER CAMBRIDGE 0870 890 1102 “Back & better than ever!” FINAL 3 MONTHS Everywhere you look there’s brightest thing on the outdoor Marley because the lack of any latest luxury-brand togs, it was Starring HER MAJESTY’S 0870 890 1106 LYRIC 0870 890 1107 on-line chicagothemusical.co.uk Capital Radio Must Close 12 January a price-tag-is-everything atti- stage, he certainly wasn’t in town odour of ganja during his set was plain that the audience was main- Mon, Wed-Sat 7.30, Tue 7.00 0870 060 1765 2nd ‘SENSATIONAL YEAR’ MoS Starring KELLY OSBOURNE “Magical” Evening Standard Vaudeville 0870 890 0511 tude. One Chrysler Building? Pah just to make up the numbers – overpowering (a sign at the air- ly there for the teenybop sensa- Wed & Sat mat 3.00 JULIAN CLARY AMY NUTTALL – there are two look-alikes going whether on the concert’s bill or port announces that possession tion Mika. He is almost the exact RENT OLD VIC 0870 060 6628 Mon, Wed-Sat 7.30pm, Tue 7pm CHRISTIAN SLATER THE PHANTOM OF up next to each other. Its new air- his own. His one-and-a-half-hour of drugs is punishable by death), antithesis of West – white where th The Hit Musical CABARET Mats Thu & Sat 2.30 Helen Baxendale Matt Smith ALDWYCH THEATRE 0870 400 0845 10 SENSATIONAL YEAR THE OPERA ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER port will be bigger than Cardiff. set in the 26C heat of late evening and Madness because they sing the latter is black, light where “A SMASH HIT” D. Tel Mon-Thurs 8, Fri 4.30 & 8, Sat 3 & 8 with www.marypoppins.co.uk SWIMMING WITH SHARKS ‘Like Madonna at her best’ “ ***** “****A feast of fine acting” D. Tel Not Cardiff airport – Cardiff. And was a masterpiece of pacing. The of English rain and domesticity. West is dark, and bright and tre- Eves 7.30, Mats Tue & Sat 2.30 KIDS 1/2 PRICE - Tues & Wed eves **** ‘BRILLIANT!’ Express DIRTY DANCING COMEDY THEATRE 0870 060 6637 GENIUS” Ind Mark Gatiss, Lesley Manville, Diana Rigg then there’s the huge indoor ski- pounding first two-thirds were After a performance by the bly where the rapper is low and Mon-Sat 7.30pm Thu & Sat 3.00pm THE CLASSIC STORY ON STAGE Mon-Thu 7.45; Fri 5&8.30; Sat 4&7.45 www.thephantomoftheopera.com Eves 7.45, Mats Wed & Sat 3 Mon-Sat 7.30, mats Wed & Sat 2.30 slope with real snow, the enor- irresistibly epic, string-laden, Euro-Iranian Arash, Joss Stone throbbing. Mika’s nuclear falset- Mon-Sat 7.30, Fri & Sat 3.00 BOEING-BOEING PRINCE OF WALES THEATRE swimmingwithsharks.co.uk FORTUNE BO & CC 0870 060 6626 mous baroque-cum-neoclassi- even gothic: “Touch the Sky”, began the business end of day to not only thrilled the crowd but DAY SEATS RELEASED 12PM Directed by Matthew Warchus www.oldvictheatre.com 0870 850 0393 / 0870 264 3333 cal waterfront project… It seems “Diamonds”, and “Gold Digger” two. The first half of her set was also threatened to knock out the www.dirtydancingonstage.com “The funniest show in London” FT 19th SPINE-CHILLING YEAR! Book online: www.mamma-mia.com Mon-Sat 7.30pm, Thur & Sat 2.30pm Susan Hill’s VICTORIA PALACE a developer only has to want to all overwhelming. “What do you mostly drawn from her latest swathes of plate glass in the MAMMA MIA! build something even more out- want?” he demanded during album, Introducing Joss Stone, a surrounding towers. As he AMBASSADORS www.boeingboeing.co.uk THE WOMAN IN BLACK 0870 895 5577 / 0870 264 3333 08448 112 334 PALACE THEATRE 0870 890 0142 THE SMASH HIT MUSICAL WINNER 8 BEST MUSICAL AWARDS landish than the last for it to be- “Gold Digger”, and the crowd, in series of unconvincing, smooth, bounced around the stage, clad Criterion Theatre 0870 060 2313 Adapted by Stephen Mallatratt 6TH Sensational Year BASED ON THE SONGS OF ABBA Music by ELTON JOHN come reality in next to no time. their Gucci, Chanel, and Moschi- slick and indulgent tunes, in in dental white, he was like a kids’ Pop pickers: stars wowing the young Dubai crowd included BEST NEW COMEDY “A VINTAGE THRILLER TO “LAUGHALOT” Times Mon-Thur 7.30, Fri 5.00 & 8.30, Book & Lyrics by LEE HALL And culture is what Dubai no finery, screamed back, as one, which her top-notch band, with TV presenter on a diet of indus- (clockwise from far left) Mika; Kanye West; Ziggy Marley; STOMP 2007 Olivier Awards CHERISH” The Times MONTY PYTHON’S Sat 3.00 & 7.30 Directed by STEPHEN DALDRY wants now. Earlier this year, Iron “We want greenbacks!” Boom- its former James Brown side- trial-strength E-numbers. Hy- Suggs of Madness; and Joss Stone NOUSHA SALIMI/AP; REUTERS ‘Expect to be amazed’ S. Tel John Buchan & Alfred Hitchcock’s Mon - Sat 8, Mats Tue 3 & Sat 4 TICKETS TONIGHT FROM £27.50 Mon-Sat 8, Thur, Sat 3 SPAMALOT BILLY ELLIOT Maiden played the rock festival, town, you soon discover, is an men, barely got out of first gear. peractive toddlers must gaze THE 39 STEPS The Musical and now the poppier Desert irony-free zone. The most toe-curling moment upon him in awe. Garrick Theatre 0870 890 1104 with Peter Davison & Bill Ward APOLLO THEATRE Mon-Sat 8pm, Tue 3pm, Sat 4pm “A HELL OF A LOT OF FUN” QUEENS THEATRE With JACKIE CLUNE Rhythm Festival has hit town Around the hour mark he be- was when she announced, in a His songs are pure Eurovision Mon-Thur 8, Fri 5.15 & 8.30, Sat 3 & 8 0870 890 1101 PERFECT FOR ALL THE FAMILY Daily Telegraph 0870 950 0930 and JAMES GADDAS after expanding from last year’s came quiet and personal. “Every- voice wobbling unsurely back with candy-stripes through them Jonathan Pryce, Aidan Gillen BAD GIRLS Kids 5-15 pay their age THE WORLD’S LONGEST Mon-Sat 7.30, Thur & Sat 2.30 single day to two days of pop. It thing I’m not, made everything and forth across the Atlantic, of Freddie Mercury, Robbie DOMINION 0870 169 0116 £25 seats avail every day from 10.30am The Musical @FRI 5.15 (T&Cs apply) RUNNING MUSICAL took place over the weekend in I am,” he intoned, building that she had finally found her Williams and Elton John. He did 0870 890 0149 Some good seats avail. Mon-Thur GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS Mon-Sat 7.30pm, Thur & Sat 3pm a shallow grassy bowl in front of through references to the local- true love, and it was music. Pass the hit album Life in Cartoon Mo- ‘MAGNIFICO’ The Sun www.montypythonsspamalot.com www.billyelliotthemusical.com ‘Mamet’s superb play’ Gd www.badgirlsthemusical.com LES MISERABLES the lake by the CNN, Reuters, ity (“I’m living the Dubai-type the D&G sickbag… tion, of course, with a couple of ‘Enthralling black comedy’ ES WE WILL ROCK YOU Eves 7.30, Mats Wed & Sat 2.30 and Middle East Broadcasting dream”) to a show-stopping cli- Stone asked if Dubai was dig- new songs, and the crowd – of all GIELGUD THEATRE 0870 950 0915 www.lesmis.com Eves 7.45, Wed & Sat 3, 90 mins by QUEEN & BEN ELTON 0870 890 1108 New London 0870 890 0141 buildings of Dubai’s Media Cen- max of “I’m the MAN!”. Except ging her, and the 15,000 privi- ages, it must be said, but chiefly “PATRICK STEWART WYNDHAMS 0870 950 0925 ‘UNMISSABLE’ Capital Radio IS MAGNIFICENT” FT RSC LONDON SEASON PICCADILLY 0844 412 6600 “POIGNANT PERFECTION” Eve St tre. The location was forced upon that the show didn’t stop: he re- leged locals and expats in atten- in their teens and early twenties APOLLO VICTORIA Mon-Sat 7.30, Mat Sat 2.30 15 November 07 - 12 January 08 “It’s Electrifyin’ ... GO GO GO!” Sky SAVOY THEATRE 0870 164 8787 #### the organisers when last year’s turned, in a neon-seamed jack- dance sounded a little unsure. – absolutely adored it, even help- 0870 4000 751 / 0870 402 0180 Starring Extra show last Wednesday MACBETH HENRY GOODMAN IN (Times, Guardian, D. Exp, Eve St) out-of-town venue was sold to et, for a crunching “Stronger”. Dubai doesn’t buy in huge acts ing him out of a little local diffi- www.WickedTheMusical.co.uk The Seagull + King Lear of every month at 2.30 By William Shakespeare &Aoife Mulholland CHARLES JANIE “A WIZARD HIT!” www.rsc.org.uk/london FIDDLER ON developers at late notice. But if Earlier in the day, Ziggy to watch them pass through the culty by singing the last word of www.queenonline.com Mon-Fri 7.30pm on Mon eve & Wed mats Mon-Thur 7.30, Fri 5 & 8.30 DANCE DEE The Sunday Times the reason was typical of Dubai’s moments of self-discovery that the line, “Billy Brown fell in love Sat 2.30pm & 7.30pm Mon, Wed-Sat 7.30, Tues 7, Wed & Sat 2.30 Sat 3 & 7.30 THE ROOF JOHN STANDING in pell-mell development, then its the 20-year-old Stone is patent- with a… man!” DONMAR 0870 060 6624 NEW LONDON THEATRE WICKED 10 WEEKS ONLY BEST AVAILABILITY MIDWEEK £20 day seats in person from 10am “SHOUT IT WITH DELIGHT: effect has been to locate the now ly experiencing, after the first He and his band encored – in 0870 890 0141 bkg fee SHADOWLANDS As Mika bounced The award-winning musical PARADE FAMILY SHOW FOR CHRISTMAS www.greasethemusical.co.uk FIDDLER’S BACK IN TOWN” ES annual festival somewhere that flush of her success. No: Dubai furry animal costumes, no less “A WICKED & WONDERFUL Mon-Sat 7.30pm, Thu & Sat 2.30pm A new musical NICHOLAS NICKLEBY GONE WITH THE WIND Mon-Sat 7.30, Matinees Wed & Sat 2.00 www.shadowlandsplay.com could not be more apt. wants what it can afford, and it – with “Lollipop”, and balloons, VISION OF OZ” Evening Standard Mon-Sat 7.30, Mats Wed & Sat 2.30 LYCEUM 0844 844 0005 (bkg fee) around the stage, Directed by Trevor Nunn “MAGNIFICENT” D. Tel Talking of apt, the headliner can afford the very best. glitter and streamers cascaded Mon-Sat 7.30pm Wed & Sat 2.30pm 8 WKS ONLY - FROM 5 DEC Groups (15+) call: 0844 847 1522 From 5 April of the first night amid the navi- he was like a Stone belatedly complied. into the cheering, dancing, mass Tickets from £15 at all performances Drury Lane 0870 890 6002 or Disney Groups 020 7845 0949 SHAFTESBURY THEATRE HAYMARKET 0844 844 2353 www.gwtwthemusical.com PHOENIX BO/CC 0870 060 6629 Day Seats £25 from 10.00am “THIS SHOW IS 020 7379 5399 Groups 020 7014 8444 gation light-winking skyscrap- With perhaps unconscious as their squeaky hero bounced “IRRESISTIBLE...Shows don’t come Disney Presents 20TH PHENOMENAL YEAR ers was Kanye West, a man kids’ TV presenter candour, she said: “I want to tell out of view in his now off-the- A WONDER” Tms more pleasurable than this” D.Tel To advertise in WILLY RUSSELL’S HAIRSPRAY 0844 847 1608 THE LION KING Noël Coward Theatre 0870 850 9175 whose band mostly comprised you something real and honest,” shoulder alligator get-up. THE LORD OF MICHAEL BALL & MEL SMITH a 13-piece string and horn sec- on a diet of and found some passion as she Dubai is the biggest, boldest, ROBERT BATHURST is THE COUNTRY WIFE Now booking to 28 April 2008 BLOOD BROTHERS Theatre Listings THE RINGS A Comedy by William Wycherley AVENUE Q OPENS TONIGHT! tion featuring fabulously attrac- delivered “You Had Me”, her sig- brashest upstart place in the Tue-Sat 7.30, Wed & Sat 2.00 BEST MUSICAL industrial-strength ALEX Mon 7, Tue-Sat 7.30, Thurs & Sat 2 Directed by Jonathan Kent “The funniest show in town” Sky News £25 DAY SEATS at theatre from 10am please call tive women, in gorgeous silver nature tirade against an old world, and Mika was made for & SUNDAY MATINEES at 3pm Tue-Sat evenings at 7.30pm DAY SEATS at £20 from 10am Mon-Sat 7.30, Wed & Sat mats 2.30 Mon-Thu 8, Fri 5.30 & 8.30, Sat 5 & 8.30 ALL MAJOR AWARDS Mon-Sat 7.30pm Thurs & Sat 3pm 020 7005 2262 gowns, who sawed and blew away E-numbers boyfriend. The band found fire both for it and its unashamedly FROM TONIGHT - 8 DEC ONLY www.lotr.com www.trh.co.uk Online Booking: www.thelionking.co.uk www.avenueqthemusical.co.uk Eves 7.45, Mats Thu 3.00, Sat 4.00 www.hairspraythemusical.com even when the music had no as she did, with Eric Baker’s exhibitionist inhabitants.